1972 Chicago commuter rail crash

Train wreck 1972 Chicago commuter rail crash 1972 Chicago commuter rail crash wreckage.jpg NTSB photograph of the crash site 1972 10 30 27th Street station, Chicago, Illinois United States Electric Suburban service Illinois Central Gulf Rear-end collision Train backed into signal block 2 45 332 A collision between two commuter trains in Chicago occurred during the cloudy morning rush hour on October 30, 1972, and was the worst such crash in Chicago's history. Illinois Central Gulf Train 416, made up of newly purchased Highliners, overshot the 27th Street station on what is now the Metra Electric District, and the engineer asked and received permission from the train's conductor to back the train to the platform. This move was then made without the flag protection required by the railroad's rules. The train's crew had not used a flagman before, and while it was a prescribed practice, it had fallen out of use. Instead, the conductor and the engineer worked in concert to back up the train, with the curve in the track partially blocking the view.Bibel George https://books.google.com/books?id=5mKefpEufkgC&q=1972+&pg=PP1 Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters 2012-10-07 JHU Press 978-1-4214-0590-2 en Train 416 passed the automatic block signals, which cleared express Train 720, made up of more heavily constructed single level cars, to continue at full speed on the same track. The engineer of the express train did not see the bilevel train backing up until it was too late. When the trains collided, the front car of the express train telescoped the rear car of the bilevel train, killing 45 people and injuring 332.http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/disasters/ilcentral_crash.html 1972, October 30: Illinois Central Commuter Train Crash Chicago Public Library July 7, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001031/http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/disasters/ilcentral_crash.html September 27, 2007Morgan David P. January 1973 7:38 A.M., October 30, 1972 Trains Magazine Kalmbach Publishing Milwaukee, WI 33 3 3–6 The death toll could have been higher, but the accident occurred near Michael Reese Hospital (which later moved) and Mercy Hospital.Survivors mark 50th anniversary of Illinois Central train crash, worst such wreck in Chicago history https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/illinois-central-train-crash-50th-anniversary-1972/ 2022-12-30 www.cbsnews.com 28 October 2022 en-USTimes Seth S. King Special to The New York 1972-10-31 44 Die, 320 Hurt as Chicago Commuter Trains Crash en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/31/archives/44-die-320-hurt-as-chicago-commuter-trains-crash-illinois-central.html 2022-12-30 0362-4331 Later investigations showed that Train 720 likely could have seen the red light for Train 416 and avoided a collision if it was traveling slower (30 mph). It is estimated that Train 720 hit Train 416 at about 44-50 mph.Bibel George https://books.google.com/books?id=5mKefpEufkgC&q=1972+&pg=PP1 Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters 2012-10-07 JHU Press 978-1-4214-0590-2 en References External links Final accident report in full - NTSB - On ROSAP website Collision of Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Commuter Trains: Investigation Summary and Recommendations List of crash dead identified - Clipping from Chicago Tribune - Newspapers.com Works cited 361–363 41.8449 -87.6137 type:event_region:US-IL_scale:10000 title Category:Railway accidents in 1972 Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Illinois Category:1972 in Chicago Category:Accidents and incidents involving Illinois Central Railroad Category:1972 in Illinois Category:October 1972 in the United States